A Brief Insight Into the Making of Body Spray Paint

Are you planning to use body spray paint on your body? Then you need to know how it should be used, and how you can make your own safe body paints at home.

ArtHearty Staff

Last Updated: Dec 10, 2017

From professional wrestling to the military, from the fashion world to being used by activists protesting against various types of discrimination in the society, the uses of body painting has been varied. If you are wondering what is body painting, then in simple terms, it is art on human body that lasts for just a few hours. When the entire body is used as a canvas for the art form, then it is known as body painting; with smaller and more intricate works, it is generally known as temporary tattooing. Spray paint is generally the medium that is used for body painting, as it allows the artist to cover large areas of the human body in less amount of time.

Spray paint is used in an airbrush, which is a small tool that uses gas under pressure to induce motion. It can spray different media including paint, ink, dye, and even makeup. Using an airbrush to create temporary body art can provide you with some very good results, as when the paint is sprayed, it gives a very smooth appearance. It is also less prone to chipping off. In this article, we tell you how you can make your own body art spray paint, and also how you can use the airbrush for body painting.

How to Make Body Spray Paint

You will need several things, including food dye and coloring in the hues that you want for the body art, baking soda, cornstarch, vinegar, glycerin, water, storage jars, and paper towels. The quantities of the ingredients given in this article will allow you to make one gallon of paint. Just follow the easy steps given below to make the body paint you want.

First and foremost, it is important that you have the food dye of the exact shade as the body paint you want to make.

Next, in order to make the paint, you will need to mix two cups of baking soda with four cups of vinegar. To this mixture, add four cups of cornstarch and half a cup of glycerin.

In order to make a paint of thin consistency, you will first need to check the thickness of the paint. Add the food color to the mixture, mix it properly, put it into the airbrush, and check its consistency by spraying on a model.

If you want the paint to be thinner, add water to it till you achieve the consistency you desire.

If you do not need a large quantity of airbrush body paint, then divide the basic mixture into different storage containers before adding the food color.

How to Spray Paint Using an Airbrush

Once you have made the paint, it is time to test it on your model and create your piece of art using different body painting techniques. But how do you use an airbrush? This section will help you learn this. An airbrush needs a compressor, so you will need to procure one. You will also need an electrical outlet for the compressor, the paints that you are planning to use, water, and a dropper. First and foremost, attach the airbrush to the compressor according to the instructions given in the guide. Next, attach the compressor to the electrical outlet. Before adding the paint to the airbrush, you should test the airbrush by conducting a test spray with water. Now, add the paint to the airbrush. If you think that the paint is too thick, add a few drops of water to the paint using the dropper. Now you are set to paint with the airbrush.

You can easily use glow-in-the-dark body paint to create body art. In such a scenario, paint in a dark room that has backlight so that you can create intricate design details. You also get spray paints in the market specific to occasions. Whether you are using a blue paint or black, whether you are using it for a party or for social activism, take utmost care while applying it. If there are any signs of a skin allergy, do not continue with the paint. Also, do not apply the paint if you have any wounds, or spray it anywhere close to the eyes.